New Hair.

A few weeks ago, after much thought and not so much planning, I cut almost 10 inches off of my hair. A ton of weight off my shoulders + less tangled messes in the morning meant less time spent drying in tropical weather and no more wet buns at night. I wanted to go a little more dramatic with the color, but I am happy with the overall result.
PS taking self-portraits is an art...one I have not mastered......and having the husband take it for you isn't much better ;)

A day to remember.

"Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life,
love gives us a fairy tale." - Anonymous

My brother-in-law got married last month. The whole weekend was perfection, and I had the privilege of photographing it all. more HERE.

Guacamole: a favorite.

It's true. I love anything with avocado. Especially guacamole...well, I don't even know if that's even the correct term for this recipe because it's not mashed up avocado like a typical "guacamole"...it's more like a fresh salsa or pico de gallo with avocado -- It's light, fresh, vibrant, and TASTY.

Guacamole
(Adjust ingredients/seasoning to taste and to your liking)

2 ripe avocados, diced
1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
A handful of cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp lime (or lemon) juice
1/2 tsp garlic salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp cumin
A dash of black pepper
 *Corn and/or beans optional

Pour lime juice over diced avocado. Add remaining ingredients and mix.
Use it on your favorite taco, burrito or any Mexican dish -- my personal favorite is this guac atop some sweet pulled pork, cilantro rice and a tomatillo dressing, wrapped in a homemade tortilla. << a recipe to be shared later ;)  >> What dish would you put it on?

Three.

don't grow up too fast.
Happy birthday, little man!

DIY // Penne Statement Necklace Tutorial

I am always on the look-out for cute and easy projects on Pinterest (>>follow me here<<). I came across this tutorial on how to make a statement necklace with penne pasta, I decided to give it a try...with my own little spin, of course. This project totally brought me back to the elementary school days, making macaroni necklaces to give to the mothers for mother's day -- this is the more sophisticated, totally wearable version!


I took the inspiration from pinterest and came up with the aqua statement piece. Using nail polish instead of paint, gives it a shinier finish, and less pasta makes a less bulky piece of jewelry. The pink ombre one is completely my own -- I liked the idea of using the penne vertical, giving it a completely different look. The problem with this design was that the chain couldn't go through the top pieces, but I think it worked out okay by stringing it through the end ones.
Which one is your favorite?? The pink one is a little more my style.

Materials you need are...

1. Penne (DRY pasta)  2. Nail polish - color of your choice  3. hot glue + gun  4. felt/scissors (optional)  5. Simple chain necklace

Choose 6 pc (for the ombre) and 14 pc (for the larger necklace) of penne. Choose carefully, because not all pastas are made equal. Once you have the pasta, paint each one with the nail polish of your choice. I used 2 coats of green on each pasta for the larger necklace. For the ombre, I used 2 coats of light pink on two pieces, 2 coats of dark pink on another two pieces, and 1 coat of each, light over the dark, on the last two penne. While the pasta dries, cut the felt into the hanger shapes for the backing (this is optional).
Once dry, lay the pasta pieces down in the shape and design you want. Apply glue to only the back side, carefully gluing each piece to the other. (Then glue the felt backing - or if not using felt, use generous amount of hot glue to coat the back side). String the simple chain necklace through the hanger pieces, and voila! your new statement piece.

Do you want to see more DIYs/tutorials? Be sure to follow the blog, and leave some comment love! 

thoughts

More here.

 

The sweetest and the hardest thing about being a mom is seeing the little ones grow up. Every stage and milestones my babies hit, I was sure was my favorite stage. Right now, Kai's 12-15 month mark has been my absolute "favorite" -- so easy to please, forgiving, so smiley, and gives you kisses on demand...yep, it is THE perfect stage. When someone invents a stop-time-in-its-place machine, I will most likely invest in one. But until then I will take in every bit of slobbery kisses, sweet sleepy cuddles and scrunchy-face smiles as I possibly can.

Green Smoothie | a very green solution

I have a "preschooler"... let me re-word that... I am the mother of a school-going-age child......I am still in shock. They started school already too... Although the relaxing and extra time to myself and the little one is nice, I still hold back the tears as I drop my oh-so-grown-up baby off at school every morning. It's exciting, overwhelming and heart-breaking all at the same time.

As he gets older, his personality, his abilities and his will-power are developing very rapidly, it's hard to keep up. This goes for his eating habits too. He's becoming quite the "picky" eater, in every sense of the word. He likes cucumber, tomato, cooked celery/carrots/peppers. And he eats his grains, fruits and meat. I should be grateful that he at least eats some veggies some of the time.

My solution to a picky, slow eater? Hide it. Dicing it small may fool a toddler into eating some veggies, but do one better and puree it-- then no one will know! I like to puree cooked veggies into sauces and soups for some added flavor and nutrition! sneaky sneaky, I know. It is so effective, so healthy, and oh so yummy. Smoothies are another way I use this method. I love smoothies, so it only makes sense that my kids also LOVE smoothies -- naturally. The criteria to get the most out of a smoothie: keep the sugar/sweetener low to none, use only low fat liquids and choose nutrient-packed fruits and veggies. This is my recipe for the perfect green smoothie.

1/2 ripe mango, peeled and sliced
1/2 apple, cored and sliced
1 kiwi, peeled - optional
3/4 cup or so of canned/fresh pineapple
1-2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves
1 cup vanilla almond milk
Ice cubes (probably around 10, adjust to your liking)

First, in your blender, pulse together the fruit until really smooth. If you need to add liquid, add a little splash of almond milk. Then, add the spinach and blend until there is little to no specks of green. Lastly, add the ice and almond milk, blend until no ice chunks are left. If you feel that it needs more sweetness (which I rarely do) add a little Organic Blue Agave sweetener, really carefully, because a little goes a long way.
This is my favorite blend, but play around and experiment with different combinations of fruits and veggies. I've tried adding acai, grapes, bananas, and/or berries, which were all delicious too. Here is a list of ingredients I have yet to try: greek yogurt, avocado, cucumber, kale, broccoli......I'll save some of those for when I feel super adventurous. But for now, I will call this one a success!

Do you have any tricks up your sleeve for picky eaters, or toddlers in general?